Crush
by NarutoAngel
Summary: She wasn't like anyone he ever met. She burned him worse than his own flames. And yet, he kept coming back for more. Ace/OC AU
1. Shower

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**Just a little preview. **

"That little brat!" Portgas D. Ace snapped with anger as he realized just what the kid left him with. A bucket and a bar of soap, along with a hose, when they had a perfectly good shower to share.

Jeeze, he knew that he hated him, but did the kid really need to go that damn far?!

Climbing the stairs, Ace formed scenarios of the lecture that he was going to give. Oh was it going to be big. The little brat was going to hear it from him, and hear it good.

Just because he didn't like the fact Whitebeard not only adopted him but made them partners doesn't mean that Tsuku had any reason than to act like such a brat. Times were changing and even Ace couldn't question his adoptive father's whims. Such as why adopting him in the first place.

Tsuku had never welcomed him. He understood the boy's apprehension in letting them in their groups. But still! Enough was enough. Even Ace had his damn limit.

Slamming the shower door open, Ace stood a moment to feel the temperature of the air. Hot. The damn kid was using pure hot water! While he had to suffer with the cold water he got from the damn hose…! That bastard.

"Tsuku!" Ace yelled out, his angry making the steam around him shimmer with the power of his akuma fruit. "It time we had a freaking man to man talk!"

"What-what are you doing here? Get out!" the raspy voice demanded from the other end of the curtain.

"I'm sick of your stupid pranks. It's time we settle this. If you want to fight me, fine. But no more games.!"

"I wasn't aware you were such a child," Tsuku chided, sounding very annoyed. "Just get out. I have nothing to say to you."

"Oh that is it…!" the dark haired man snarled. He grabbed hold of the shower curtain and pulled it open. "If you hate me so much, say it to my face. Stop… making… things… difficult…" He trailed off, staring with his mouth dropping open.

The water continued to fall unbothered, the droplets drenching the familiar premature white hair the boy had, running down his face and body. Rather, in the places that dipped into sensuous curves and further down, traveling long legs to the tub.

Tsuku stared back at Ace, his gray and blue eye wide open. Rather, _her_ gray and blue eye.

"Tsuku… you're… you're a girl," Ace said dumbly.

"Yeah, you saw. NOW GET OUT!!!"


	2. What Do You Want?

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

They had gotten off at a bad start, Tsuku and him.

Whitebeard had introduced Ace to the rest of his crew, announcing him as a new member and "son". Boy, were there many of them, all sixteen division leaders with their men on separate ships. Apparently, they had all gathered with the news broke out about their newest comrade.

Amongst the gathering of men, Tsuku and his older brother had stood out like a sore thumb. Tsuku had been dressed in a huge coat that hung from his tiny body that it even extended down his pants since he was so small. His taller brother, Susa, wore a dark trench coat with long sleeves, seeming to enjoy hiding his face beneath the tall collar and had his top hat hung low over his eyes. They both had premature white hair, but different eyes. Tsuku had a right gray, left blue, while Susa had the right blue, and the left gray.

The siblings had been connected to each other by a chain attached to a collar around Tsuku's neck and a belt around Susa's waist. The two had stood off to the side, not really a part of the festivities being thrown around them.

When Whitebeard approached them, they both bowed simultaneously and greeted the pirate warmly. The demeanor changed when he introduced Ace.

Susa had been intrigued in getting a new "little brother", grinning like a madman in a way that made Ace _very_ uncomfortable.

But Tsuku on the other hand coldly rebuffed him. Flatly said that he didn't find Ace appealing to the ranks of the Whitebeard pirates.

Whitebeard only smiled in that fatherly way. He let the young boy go on his way, but when Ace made the title of commander of the second division of Whitebeard pirates, the old man had shackled both him and the kid together, calling them partners and assigning Tsuku to his division. That was the first time Ace saw the boy alone, without being shackled to his aniki.

To retaliate, Tsuku went out on his way to make Ace's life a living hell. Always berating him and insulting him, the boy simply could not be pleased. He had no official rank, and yet he was in a way Ace's superior. So the young man tried to tolerate the abuse the best he could.

But on this latest mission, his control snapped. Things weren't turning out to good in their dealings and the informant they used had been wrong on several occasions. Ace didn't need the added torment and he just couldn't handle it anymore. Thus the shower scene.

"I guess I should be referring Tsuku as 'her' now," he muttered quietly, waiting downstairs on the couch of their rented, two floors apartment after being chased out the bathroom with a shower of thrown items. He bowed his hand, slamming it into his fists. "Damn."

Generally, Tsuku had seemed like a frail boy. The white skin, the white hair, the skinny body and the strange vulnerability she had emitted, added to that belief. She, reportedly, didn't have the powers of a Devil Fruit, but apparently had enough power to obtain respect from the other pirates of the crew. Whatever it was, it seemed that Susa shared it as well, that it possibly had to do with the chain which recently connected the two.

Now, knowing the truth of her gender, Ace thought it might be that case. Why else conceal her gender? Perhaps it gave her an advantage? He couldn't think of another excuse for her to hide that body.

The door opened from above, telling him that Tsuku was coming. Ace lifted his head, trying to stay calm and collected. Who knew her mood right now, or how she was going to deal with Ace seeing her in the nude. One thing for certain, there was going to be one hell of an argument.

She came down the stairs, soft footsteps climbing down. Ace turned his head, catching a glimpse of her signature heavy coat, hiding nearly her entire body. Her hair was still wet and was tied into a short ponytail, which was strange since earlier it had been shorter.

He stopped wondering over that as Tsuku stopped in front of him, head bowed and fists kept tightly by her sides. From the expression on her face, he could tell that she was beyond mad. But that could only partially explain the blush he saw on her face.

"Tell me everything that you saw."

Her sudden command caught him off guard. "W-what?" he asked, trying to make sure he heard right.

"You heard me," she snapped, crossing her arms and scowling down at him. "Tell me what you saw."

"Um…" Ace had to clear his throat a couple of times. "Just… you."

"What about me?"

"You… as a girl. With girl parts."

"Say them."

Jesus, could this be any less embarrassing for him? Though Ace wasn't new to this department, he had some manners. Like a gentleman, he never kiss and tell. He kept his conquests secret.

But underneath this girl's stare, Ace felt worse than a lecher.

"Your… breasts. I saw them and your…" He nearly cursed when he felt himself turn extremely red. "Your vagina. I saw that too." He said the last part really fast, covering his face with his hand in embarrassment.

Tsuku's face got redder though she tried to keep a semblance of calm around her. "So basically you saw the whole package," she said.

"Yeah. You could have let me say that and not the details," Ace pointed out, glaring at her a little over his fingers.

"I had to make sure." Surprisingly, without any retaliation or yelling, Tsuku went over and sat by him on the couch.

Together, Ace was reminded how easy it was to mistake her for a boy of young age, almost reaching teenager years. She had kept her femininity so well hidden that he felt the need to apologize for destroying all that hard work. Instead, for he was sure she would only punch him in the face, he turned away and gave her more room on the small couch.

Tsuku didn't seem to notice. All her eyes were fixated on were her bare knees, her face stilled in thought. She tried to find a way to fix this, if it could still be fixed. Already, she felt that "thing" stirring inside her.

If Susa was here, he would just pull the chain and all would be good.

Things were getting dangerous now. Just what was Whitebeard-jii thinking when he separated the two of them? She wondered.

"_You shouldn't allow the world to abandon you. Instead, make your own place within it," _the pirate lord's words went through her mind. _"Don't allow it to intimidate you. People will always fear the two of you, because you are something they cannot understand. But you shouldn't fear them. Make something of yourselves instead. Join my crew and I swear to you that harm shall never befall either one of you."_

Whitebeard's words had been a beacon of hope to both Tsuku and Susa. He had saved the siblings from a lifetime of hatred, of misunderstanding. If it hadn't been for him, she would be something less than who she was now.

Tsuku looked up and found Ace staring at her from the side. She jolted, then glared back defiantly to her scare. "What?" she demanded.

Ace jumped as well at being caught and looked away, clearing his throat for the second time. "Uh, nothing. Just wondering…" his face reddened as he trailed off, looking at anything but the girl sitting beside him.

She narrowed her eyes. "Just spit it out. What worse could you say that will top what just

happened?"

"Good point," he agreed and risked a look at her, before turning his face away. "I was just wondering," he swallowed, "why do you disguise yourself. I mean, I'm not saying this as a lecher but, from what I saw, you're not half bad."

"Not half bad?!" Tsuku repeated, sounding highly offended.

"No! I meant-Arhhh!" Ace gave a grunt of frustration, throwing his head into his palm in an agitated fashion. Finally, he sighed. "You're pretty, Tsuku," he said, "even dressed as a boy. Not only that, you're sort of like a guys ideal fantasy. You have all the right curves guys go crazy for. I just wondered why you hide all that."

A blush formed and filled her entire face. Quickly, she covered her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry! I didn't- Damn, I wish this could be less embarrassing," he said quickly as he felt both responsible and guilty for her distress. He was no good with a woman's emotions, where you had to talk things out instead of punching each other and they understand the message. 

"N-no. It's fine," Tsuku said, surprising Ace when she didn't argue with him. "I'm… not used to being told those things by a man other than Susa."

"Your aniki hits on you?" Ace asked, surprised and a little creeped out by the admission.

"Not in that way, you pervert!" Tsuku yelled at him, showing that fiery temper of hers. "He does it to prepare me, if the day ever comes when I embrace my womanhood. Though I guess," she paused for a moment, averting her face as she felt herself get redder, if that was possible. "It didn't work. I feel bashful about this. It's annoying."

Her insides felt as though they were burning, melting with the humiliation. She wouldn't be surprised if she died of it. Besides with Susa and Whitebeard, this was far the only conversations she spoke about these things with another man. Even when she was at the ship's physician getting her physical (the other man besides the two of them who knew about her true sex), Susa was there as bodyguard, watchman, and parent.

Susa was there for everything, for because of their condition, he needed to be.

"Huh. That's funny." Ace's words drew her back to the present conversation.

"What is?" Tsuku demanded.

"For someone who hadn't embraced her femininity, you're sure good at acting like a girl," he replied, smiling down at her with his face leaning on his hand. He was so much taller than her, yet he did it in a way that he wasn't looking down at her or berating her in any way. "Why hide it? Why force yourself to be someone you're not? Doesn't that feel lonely?"

Tsuku looked away. "It's none of your business."

"Is it? I am your Commander."

She gritted her teeth, glad to finally feel the anger replace the embarrassment. She faced him, ready to give a piece of her mind when he laughed.

"Don't take it seriously. I'm joking," Ace said. Suddenly he reached out and patted her head, messing with the strands of hair like he would with a boy. "We don't know each other enough much for you to be spilling your secrets to me. Hell, you don't even like me. But I will never pull rank on you like that, so I apologize if I hurt you just now."

Tsuku could only stare at him. Shock couldn't describe this feeling and neither did surprise. What she felt was beyond those two descriptions, even the both combined. She was surprised, though, to feel the embarrassment return. But it was different now. The longer she stared at those dark eyes, the burning returned. But this time it didn't mean anger. It meant… it meant…

'_What's wrong with me?'_ she demanded of herself, her hands rising to touch her cheeks. _'What is this feeling? I've never felt this feeling before?'_

"Huh? What's wrong?" Ace asked, concerned with the way she looked. She was red again, but this time, it seemed greater, more intense. "Are you running a fever?" He reached out to touch her.

"I'm fine!" Tsuku stood to get away from him. "I'm just tired. All this has given me a headache." Then she turned back, trying to look at him the best she could , without making a complete fool of herself. "Before, there were only three men who knew my secret, including Whitebeard. Now, there is you."

"What about it?" Ace asked, meeting her glare, feeling a little curious of what she was going to say to him now. With a red blush on her face and her strange eyes flashing, Tsuku looked kind of cute.

He blinked. What was it he just thought about her just now?

"What," she paused, taking a breath to calm her nerves. "What should I do to keep your mouth shut?"

It got quiet. _Really_ silent. Ace stood, surpassing Tsuku that she had to lift her head up just to keep eye contact. He had a really solemn look on his face that made her wonder. Did she say something wrong? But she just asked what she need to know. Everyone had their price, even her. And she needed this to be an absolute secret.

If everyone learns that she was female, then it wouldn't be too hard to figure out the other part. Her true identity and that of Susa's.

So she looked up and repeated her demand. "What do you want that will keep you to keep my secret?"

Ace just stared, in that somber way that made Tsuku feel really uncomfortable and irritable. She gave a low grunt of frustration when he wouldn't just tell her.

"Well?! What-"

"I heard you the first two times, Tsuku. I was just thinking."

"Uh!" Tsuku gasped, feeling that accursed blush return. Just what was wrong with her today? She was usually more in control of her emotions than this. "Well, what do you want?" she

said. "Or do you need more time?"

"No. I have it now," he said nonchalantly, somehow sounding really angry.

Now that confused her. Why was he mad?

"Then, say it," she demanded, trying to stay focus on the conversation and not the way that Ace looked at her. Not the way his eyes appeared so dark.

"What I want, then," he paused, looking up. Obviously prolonging the moment.

Tsuku grew angry and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him a little down and close so she could yell in his face. "Stop messing around and tell me! I need to know so we can end this embarrassing talk!" she snapped at him, feeling frustrated.

Ace grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, so that their cheeks brushed against each other and he could talk in her ear. Tsuku grew still, her body quivering at the close contact and she felt her heart speed up.

That feeling was back again.

"I would say that I want nothing from you, cause black mail isn't really my thing. But I have a feeling that you would just hurt me. So, to protect myself from a raging female, I want you to do this.

"_Be a female."_

"W-what?" Tsuku stammered, her eyes wide with shock.

Ace drew back. "Not in public, of course, or there won't be any point for this. Just around me," he clarified. Then he smiled at her. "Just be yourself in the privacy we share. Don't hide from me. Let me the one you don't need to hide from. If you want, let me be your private sanctuary, where you no longer need to lie."

She could make a response, frozen to the spot. Who was this man? She thought. How could he be like this? What tragedy gave him this way of thinking?

"Well, I need to get back to work. If we're going to get the Pandora's Cube for Whitebeard, we need to at least get a clue to where the hell it is. I'm using the shower, 'kay? Thanks for the bucket, though."

With that, Ace turned around and went up the stairs, leaving her standing there. Midway, he stopped and added, "I mean it. I don't want to be someone who hurts you, Tsuku."

"But why?" she demanded. "Why do you give a damn? Why care to how I feel? I haven't even treated you like a person all this time! Why go so far?"

"Because," he looked down where she stood, to find her staring back with a terrified expression. His eyes soften as he smiled. "You're my nakama. It's my duty to always protect you. That includes being your scapegoat to make you smile."

He turned back and climbed the rest of the stairs. He kept that smile, until he went inside the bathroom. Then, Ace gave a sigh as he truly frowned.

He had meant what he sighed. Ace truly wanted to be that for her, someone she didn't need to conceal from. Someone who she didn't have to lie to.

But somehow, Ace knew that would not be enough.


	3. Indirect Kiss

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

The item that they sought, the Pandora's Cube, was said to have come from the hoards of One Piece itself. Such treasure, though, has always been declared as mere myth, even after Gol D. Roger's death, for its existence was never confirmed by anyone, even the pirate king.

Pandora's Cube itself was a mystery. No one was absolute sure what it looked like, for the information came by word of mouth than anything else. It was said, and by many sources for it to be somewhat credible, that it held the embodiment of the miracle Hope, a feat that could make a man a true king.

For Ace, though, it was becoming a pain in the ass.

Ever since the Pandora's Cube had been "sighted" a few weeks back, Whitebeard had send his Second Division Commander along with Tsuku to go find it. Not to check if it was truly the treasure, but to actually find the damn thing. Ace could somewhat understand his father's desire to obtain this treasure, but he thought that the old man was wishing for the impossible.

After all, how was he supposed to find something that no one can tell him how it looks like?

Ace sighed as he leaned against the wall of the building, of the home of the latest informant who gave him, and it seemed that everyone was, nothing he could use. All that this guy have given him were the usual rumors: a child had found the Cube. And, like everyone else, he could not tell him who the kid was or where Ace might find him. It was like trying to find a needle in a damn haystack.

He pushed himself off the wall and joined the growing throng of people, following them into the main part of the city. The sun was high overhead, which Ace read as noon.

Lunchtime.

"I was just getting hungry," he said out loud and began to search for a restaurant close by. While he did, Ace wondered about Tsuku.

This morning, she had already left when he woken up. There was no note to explain where she had gone, but it wasn't that much to worry about. Ace knew she was too proud to let him do all the work, that she wanted to continue the façade that she was just as much as a strong man as him, as weird as that sounded. She wouldn't let Whitebeard down like that. At the very least, Tsuku would try to find its location, if not the actual treasure itself.

He just hoped that she remembers to eat something. Better yet, maybe he should go look for her so the two of them can grab a bite together.

Nah, she would only take it the wrong way. Tsuku would only hurt him if he tried to baby her, either as a boy or a girl.

The restaurant was oddly named the Moonwalk, but the smell coming from its doors made up for the strangeness.

The Crescent Bay was a port city on the Grand Line. Located in a secluded, large cove, the town thrived on the yearly migration of the exotic creature known as the King Crab, large crustaceans that came in large numbers, that their orange shells colored the ocean like a manifestation of sunset.

The King Crap soup was said to be a delicacy that melts your taste buds with its tender sweetness. It was to die for, the natives claimed, and Ace wanted to be the tester of that. He licked his lips as he walked faster, glad to see that there wasn't a line yet as it was still early noon. He jogged the rest of the way and went inside.

Already, most of tables were full and that delicious smell only increased as more bowls of soup left the kitchen and was served to waiting costumers.

"Hello, sir. My name is Sharon. Will it be just yourself or are you waiting for someone?" a pretty waitress greeted him by a podium at the door.

"Just me," Ace said. "I would like a seat at the bar, if you have room."

"Sure. Right this way, sir." With a menu in hand, she led him to a free seat at the bar, where the bartender chatted animatedly with several of his customers, often bursting out in laughter.

He chose the bar for that reason. The lively and rowdy conversation mixed with drunken revelations made it an ideal spot for gathering information. Often, he got more info he needed here than from a paid informant. Besides, it was a good way to economize the money they had left from the previous allowance before Whitebeard sends them more.

Ace sat down at a free stool that was closest to the gathered drinking buddies, close enough for the man's elbow to jostle against his. It was not the place the waitress was going to seat him, but she merely shrugged and handed him the menu. The blush on her face suggested that she might have let him get away with anything.

"Can I get you started with something to drink, sir?" she asked politely, her body fidgeting.

"Tea would be nice," Ace told her, not paying attention to her interest as he surveyed the menu. That didn't deter the girl, as she bowed low enough to flash him a peek of her cleavage. He didn't show any reaction or was even aware of the free show she was giving him, too busy debating how many bowls of the King Crab soup he should get and whether or not he should get the side order of dango as well.

"I shall be back with your tea," Sharon said, straightening and turned to the kitchen. Throughout the way, she snuck glances at him. As the doors closed behind her, Ace could swear that he heard her squeal.

He shook his head quietly with regret. Another time he might have accepted her interest and if she was safe, used her as a distraction and fool around. But he was working right now and had to accomplish this task before he returned to his men.

So, he turned his attention to the conversation beside him.

"I'm telling you guys! She was a real live mermaid!" one man proclaimed, sounding very sincere. His credibility, however, was questionable as he was surrounded by many empty glass mugs.

"That's what you said about Marie last week and we all know she got no fish fins underneath that dress," another drunk contradicted the first man's statement, taking a long chug from the mug of beer in his hand.

"He's got a point there, Lune," the bartender said, beginning to clear the countertop and put the glasses underwater in the sink. "And let us not forget that claim of yours about your son finding a 'God'."

Ace shifted, his ears straining to hear every word. He turned away from his eavesdropping long enough to accept his tea and place his enormous lunch order, which included several bowls of King Crab soup and Catfish salad.

"Just bring out one plate at a time," he said. "So it won't get crowded."

"Yes, sir." Sharon wrote this down in her notepad. "Anything else?"

"That'll be all for the moment. Thank you."

She left and Ace began to nurse his tea, returning his attention to the present conversation.

"But it's true! The God is living with me and my son as we speak. And how can you explain my sudden good luck? All of y'all know that I'm crap at cards!"

"That's true. Maybe you just finally learn to use your head instead of just calling out bluffs?" a third man suggested, beginning to laugh as though he had just said the funniest joke he had ever heard.

"Or maybe you're just cheating," the bartender said quietly. "If you are, Lune, then I suggest you quit. You know that Kouga does not like to be made a fool of."

"But I'm not!" Lune insisted, waving his arms into the air in a hysterical manner. "I swear. I'm as scared of Kouga as everyone else. And I can't leave my son to a lifetime of servitude and death should I ever make that mistake. I will never risk him that way!"

"So the idiot does have a brain," the third man said, laughing again.

"If you're not cheating, then how are you doing it?" the second man asked, and took another drink from his mug.

"I don't know! I've already told you what I think happen, Sae!"

"Look, Lune. I think it's kind of you to take in an orphan, but it isn't nice to be portraying him like a deity. All this good luck will soon crash down on you with the worst misfortune," the bartender warned seriously.

"Yeah, Lune," agreed the second. "Just admit that it's only good luck. If you continue to parade the kid like some kind of charm or a god, people will get suspicious and only harm will befall the boy."

"Alright then. I'll stop. But I will say this, whatever Nova is, he is a miracle to both me and my son. If that is not the powers of a god, then I don't know what is."

The conversation turned to other boring, and unimportant subjects, like work and random statements that made no sense. Instead, Ace began to concentrate on his food as it arrived. He put the first spoonful of the steaming King Crab soup and gave a throaty groan of ecstasy as the rumors were right. The crab meat was juicy and delicately seasoned and so, so tender. Inside the soup, it was like literally tasting heaven.

Ace began to eat eagerly, going through the first bowl of soup and began on the salad that came as a side. This was the Catfish tuna salad and while not as amazing as the soup, it gave its own impression.

Despite the euphoria he felt from eating such delicious food, Ace could not detect or fight the familiar dullness and sudden exhaustion that descended on him. His face fell forward onto his third plate of salad, startling everyone near him.

"What just happened?!"

"That guy just keeled over!"

"Whoa! Is he dead?"

--

"That idiot!"

Tsuku ran as she followed the commotion towards the restaurant. Someone mysteriously dying while eating food? That could only be the idiotic Second Division Commander she was shackled with.

She pushed through the gathered, nosy people, trying to get inside the restaurant before someone called a hearse. Okay, maybe not go that far. Still, Ace's sudden attacks of narcolepsy freaked people out since they didn't know about them. It was easy to believe that he suddenly died. In fact, this was the only reason why she knew it was him.

It pissed Tsuku off.

She felt that the reason why Whitebeard paired them together on this solo mission was for her to freaking babysit him. It was pathetic that Tsuku had to play mother around the careless Commander.

Oh, wait until she got her hands on him!

"Excuse me!" Finally, she got inside the restaurant. She huffed. "That… idiot is not dead. He's just… asleep."

"What? Asleep?" the man tending to the Commander looked down in surprise. He placed his ear near where his face was splattered into the food. Sure enough, the man could hear the guy breathing normally. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Hey! You hear that? He's not dead!" the bartender yelled out to the crowd. "Don't call for the doctor anymore! We don't need him anymore."

The crowd dispersed with shows of annoyance and disappointment.

Tsuku narrowed her eyes at them before jogging forward where the Commander hunched over, his face in his food.

"Is he your brother, kid?" the bartender asked, more in wondering why the boy interfered.

"Yeah," she said, taking that excuse.

Here she was, out searching for the Cube, and he's passed out while eating. Angrily, Tsuku grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back abruptly, making him fall off the stool and land on his back on the floor.

"What the-?!" Waking up, Ace looked around him angrily, until his eyes fell upon the white haired "boy" who coolly glared down at him. "Tsuku!" he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He picked himself off the floor as his anger dissipated.

"I should be asking you the same thing," she growled, her own anger not yet cooled. She still wanted to smack him. "Don't you know that we have a job to do?"

"I'm taking a lunch break right now. Can't work on an empty stomach, you know?" Ace sat back down on the stool and wiped lettuce and catfish tuna from his face with a towel the bartender gave him. "Thanks," he said to him. "I guess I fell asleep again."

"What gave it away?" Tsuku asked sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest.

He only smiled at her and pulled her forward by her large hoodie, motioning that she should take the seat beside him.

"Hey, Sharon!" he called out to the waitress, who had been standing near the wall during the entire thing. "Get me another order, please!"

"Ah, yes!" she said, still not quite believing that he was okay and went inside the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Tsuku demanded from him, watching as he forced her to sit down on the stool.

"Like I said, I'm taking a lunch break," Ace repeated himself, returning to his own meal. "You should too. In fact, join me. I can use the company and we can use this time to compare notes."

"The two of you sure don't look like siblings. Are you sure the two of you are related?" the bartender asked, coming over to their side of the counter. The three drinking men, Ace was sad to see, had already left, probably during his little episode.

"We had different mothers," Tsuku said, as if that explained everything. However, there was nothing between Ace and Tsuku that even hinted that they were related. Yet Ace thought it entertaining to see her stick to her lie so passionately, even getting into the role.

It made him smile.

"Oh… I see." From the look on his face, it was clear that the bartender didn't. He turned to Ace for a change in subject instead. "You sure gave as quite a scare there, sir. Many people thought you were poison somehow," he said. "Do you often have attacks like that?"

"Yep. It's sort of a condition that I have. Can't really find a cure to it," Ace responded, chewing through the leafy lettuce.

"Do you have it as well, boy?" the man asked Tsuku next.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I was the lucky one, thanks to my sweet, sweet mother," she said. Suddenly, her face turned sorrowful. "Alas, it has been a harsh existence we live. With my older brother is such a poor shape, I'm afraid he hasn't been able to keep a job and let us have a stable living."

Her eyes grew teary, even turning her face to the side for a greater effect. "We came to the Crescent City hoping for a new start, but I'm afraid things are worse for us here. It is not all like the rumors, where there always would be a job. I guess, it was all wishful thinking."

Ace wondered just what in the hell Tsuku was doing. What's with the sob story? If she kept it up, the bartender will come to realize that there would be no way they could pay for all the dishes he had ordered.

"That's terrible to hear," the bartender said, sympathizing. "Time's been tough on all of us since the only tides we have been getting are low. We are lucky that this week we had a high tide that brought so many of the King Crab to harvest. Otherwise, you and your brother wouldn't be enjoying our delicacy today."

"Thank goodness. This is too good to miss," Ace agreed. "Try some, Tsuku."

Before she could decline, he placed a spoonful of the rich soup into her mouth. The taste burst on her tongue, making her eyes widen with shock and surprise and she couldn't resist the tiny moan that she gave.

Blushing, Tsuku pulled the spoon from her mouth. "It's… it's good," she said, facing away from the Commander to give herself a moment to cool down.

Did he always have to do such stupid and embarrassing things? Even when Ace thought her a boy, he always acted like this, as though they were friends. It never failed to affect her.

Since yesterday, it seemed that she has become aware of unwanted things. For one thing, she realized that Ace was a man, who was not related to her, and he also knew her secret. The other thing she became aware of was that since his suggested proposal, her mind was starting to think more feminine. That she was starting to think like a woman, and she nearly allowed her fast grown hair to be left alone, instead of chopping it off like she usually did.

When she woke up that morning, Tsuku realized that she could not face Ace. She had to get out of the apartment.

As she tried, she happened to walk by his room. Like a magnet, she was drawn to his fire, to the warmth that she always desired to maintain, for it'll give her the strength to finally control what was inside.

When her hand suddenly began reaching for the doorknob, Tsuku literally ran out of the house. She cleared her throat to regain her composure and turned back to the bartender.

"Does the tide affect migration of the King Crab?" she asked him, continuing the conversation.

"Oh yes." He nodded. "You see, there is a current that runs just outside the bay that the crabs use in their migration. The high tide is what pushes them outside the current where our boats await while the low tide keeps them hidden. The current is too strong to navigate in our modest fishing boats and even with the high tides, we've lost many good men trying to harvest. That's why so many of the townspeople have turned to gambling to make up for lost wages or to try and make enough to board the ferry that can travel through the current and leave the city."

"Terrible. So this is another dead end, aniki," Tsuku said tragically, going so far as to hug Ace in "distress."

"Not entirely, I'm sad to say, though I rather you leave than get involved with the likes of those people," the bartender said, frowning.

"What kind of people?" Ace asked, finally understanding where Tsuku had been going with her sob story. This was one way to get information without emptying your wallet.

"The ones who brought gambling to our modest city, Kouga and his gang." The bartender shook his head with disgust. "Those horrible men have been feeding on our city's misery! They lend people money, but when they come to collect, they charge way more than they gave. Many of the lower class have gone missing were reputed to have owed them money." He sighed mournfully. "Our city may look like its thriving, but it has actually become rotten from the inside. If I were you boys, I'd get out of here and go someplace else. Here, your luck will only grow worse."

He then left to serve a new costumer, just as Sharon arrived with the new order. It smelled good and she knew that it tasted just as good. But right now, she wanted to leave and go check out this new information along with the other piece she had received before coming to the restaurant.

"Why did you want to know about the city's condition?" Ace asked, returning to his own meal.

Tsuku sighed, as she knew she couldn't really avoid not telling him. "I think I've found a lead, someone whom can truly confirm the Pandora's Cube existence," she said. "The town's sudden change of prosperity could be a side effect of its presence. The gang's arrival is just an unfortunate outcome."

"I can see where you're coming from, but how can you be so sure? The others claimed the same at first, but couldn't really give us some real proof."

Tsuku reached inside her pocket and took out the photograph the informant had given her and put it in front of Ace. She left the image speak for her while she started on her food, finally caving in and just ate.

Ace picked up the fragile piece of paper and glanced at it. His eyes widened with some interest, as it gave Lune's story some claim.

"What am I looking at?" he asked.

"Originally, it was supposed to be a couple's vacation but the children in the back got in the picture," Tsuku explained, sipping her soup. "It was taken by their friend who kept the picture when the couple thought it ruined. She later sold it cheap because of its bizarreness, though no one really believe it to be anything else by a camera malfunction. It was taken around the same time the Pandora's Cube is said to have return. I don't believe it to be mere coincidence."

The picture did show of a mistake, of a smiling couple looking within the camera with two children messing around in the background. Everything looked normal, except for one. Ace recognized one of the boys to be Lune's son, from the same features the boy shared with his father. They even have the same cowlick. But the other boy, he was different. His appearance was normal, but the shadow that lingered behind him was strange. Like a separate being, it seemed to hover around the boy, with gold eyes and the same appearance as the boy.

He could understand why it was believed to be a malfunction, though it was kind of weird for it to come out like this. At last, they finally had something to go by than just rumors and a drunken man's stories.

"So, how did you find this?" he asked.

"I just asked if anything weird happened recently," she said. "We were always asking about the Cube, and because of that, no one knew about it. If we just asked for anything crazy, we could get a lot of it. Some might be useless, but as long as we look for what we need, eventually we might find it."

"True," Ace agreed, returning the photo to her. "So, any idea of whom the kids happen to be?"

Tsuku shook her head. "Only that one of them is a native to the island, but I could not get a name or an address, which was quite strange. That's all to share," she admitted.

"Well, looks like I can help out with that," Ace grinned, causing her to blink.

"Huh?"

**A/N: Kind of a boring chapter but I needed to get the plot going. Thanks to all who reviewed!**


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